Sammy Davis Jr.'s pistol is turned in at L.A. gun buyback program

Sammy Davis Jr.'s pistol is turned in at L.A. gun buyback program
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti holds a vintage pistol that was registered to Sammy Davis Jr., as he and L.A. Police Chief Charlie Beck discuss results from a gun buyback event this last weekend. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

A vintage pistol that was once owned by legendary performer Sammy Davis Jr. was among 791 guns that the Los Angeles Police Department collected during a weekend gun buyback program, officials said.

The Rat Pack member's 1911 .45-caliber pistol was one of the weapons turned in for Ralphs grocery store gift cards during the events held in Mission Hills and South Los Angeles.

No details were available about who donated the gun or its origins because the program is anonymous. Typically such 1911 pistols cost more than $350.

Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Dean Martin on Feb. 15, 1983.
Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Dean Martin on Feb. 15, 1983. (Marsha Traeger / Los Angeles Times)

The nearly 800 guns included 364 handguns, 144 shotguns, 237 rifles, 42 assault-style weapons and four weapons that did not fit any specific category.

Since its inception in 2009, the gun buyback program has collected more 15,000 weapons.

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